FC Iberia 1999 B

Last updated
Football Club Iberia 1999 B
Founded1999;26 years ago (1999)
GroundBendela stadium, Tbilisi, Georgia
Capacity1,800
ChairmanTariel Khechikashvili
CoachGuga Nergadze
League Erovnuli Liga 2
2024 4th of 16 in Liga 3 (promoted)
Website fciberia1999.ge

FC Iberia 1999 B, also known as Iberia-2 1999, is a Georgian football team based in Tbilisi.

Contents

Founded in 1999, it is the reserve team of Iberia 1999 and plays in the 2nd division of Georgian football, holding home games at Bendela, an 1,800-seat stadium located in Saburtalo district of Tbilisi.

Prior to March 2024, the team was known as Saburtalo-2. [1]

Background

Unlike in some other nations where reserve teams have their own separate league, Georgian teams are allowed to play in the same football pyramid as their parent clubs both in the league and cup competitions. However, they cannot face each other in the same division and, therefore, are ineligible for promotion to the division in which the main side plays. Likewise, should the senior team suffer relegation to a division where the reserves play, the latter will automatically drop into a lower tier.

History

Saburtalo-2 made a debut in Georgian football in 2017. With their senior side already promoted to the Erovnuli Liga, the reserve team entered the Regionuli Liga tournament and under the management of Revaz Gotsiridze won the B Group, implying automatic promotion to Liga 3. [2]

The team started their 2018 season with five wins in as many matches, which made Saburtalo-2 one of the key title contenders. But they slipped up in the final phase and finished just below the playoff spots, picking up four points in the last five games.

The 2020 season was most difficult for Saburtalo-2. In terms of sport achievements, they finished 8th among the ten clubs but what badly affected the team and shocked the whole country was a brutal murder of their promising 19-year-old defender Giorgi Shakarashvili. To honour his name, Saburtalo named one of its academy stadiums after Shakarashvili and retired his No 21 jersey from its all teams. [3]

Saburtalo-2 spent the next three seasons in mid-table before beating their two rivals in the race for a promotion playoff place in 2024. Strengthened by first team members Gizo Mamageishvili and Iuri Tabatadze, the club cruised to a narrow aggregate victory over Aragvi and sealed their first promotion in seven years. [4]

In the same year, chairman Tariel Khechikashvili announced that he decided to rebrand the club by changing its name. [5]

Seasons

YearLeaguePosMWDLGF–GAPtsDomestic Cup
2018 Liga 3 4th of 20382141360–5067 2nd round
2019 Liga 35th of 20361531853–6748 2nd round
2020 Liga 38th of 1018611122–3119 1st round
2021 Liga 37th of 1426108853–3638 3rd round
2022 Liga 37th of 16301341346–4443 3rd round
2023 Liga 37th of 1630129945–2645 2nd round
2024 Liga 34th of 16 [a] 301510552–2655 2nd round
  1. Beat Aragvi 3–2 on aggregate

Squad

As of 21 May 2025 [6]

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules; some limited exceptions apply. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No.Pos.NationPlayer
1 GK Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Saba Samkharadze
2 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Gogsadze
3 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Nikoloz Bochorishvili
4 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Tengo Mamporia
5 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Nika Tchumburidze
6 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Ambrosidze
7 FW Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Davit Gogilashvili
8 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Chachua
9 FW Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Amiran Dzagania
10 FW Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Davit Mikaia
11 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Tsotne Khechikashvili
12 GK Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Saba Bochorishvili
13 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Kakulia
14 FW Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Guram Goshteliani (C)
15 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Kukalia
16 GK Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Revaz Kurtanidze
No.Pos.NationPlayer
17 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Saba Geguchadze
18 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Sajaia
19 FW Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Daniel Qvartskhava
20 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Shotiko Tsamalashvili
22 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Givi Khachidze
23 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Tabatadze
24 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Magradze
25 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Aleksandre Amisulashvili
26 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Zurab Lataria
27 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Giorgi Chanturia
29 DF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Nikoloz Kalandadze
30 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Zaza Tsamalashvili
31 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Nika Khorkheli
33 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Mate Antia
39 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Akaki Menagarishvili
40 MF Flag of Georgia.svg  GEO Chabuki Labadze

Managers

NameNat.FromTo
Revaz Gotsiridze Flag of Georgia.svg 20172019
Giorgi Chelidze Flag of Georgia.svg 20192021
Temur Shalamberidze Flag of Georgia.svg 20212022
Bakhva Ambidze Flag of Georgia.svg 20222023
Ucha Sosiashvili Flag of Georgia.svg 20232023
Temur Shalamberidze (2) Flag of Georgia.svg 20232024
Gia Akhalkatsi Flag of Georgia.svg 20242024
Davit Kokiashvili Flag of Georgia.svg 20252025
Guga Nergadze Flag of Georgia.svg 2025

Notable players

These former Saburtalo-2 footballers have played for the senior national team, U21s or both:

Honours

Regionuli Liga

See also

References

  1. ""საბურთალოს" სახელი შეეცვალა და ოთხი ლეგიონერიც წარადგინეს" [Saburtalo gets a new name and introduces four players]. worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 27 February 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  2. "რეგიონული ლიგა: "საბურთალო 2"-მა საწადელი თითქმის აისრულა". worldsport.ge (in Georgian). 27 October 2017. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  3. ""საბურთალომ" გიორგი შაქარაშვილის სახელობის სტადიონი გახსნა" [Saburtalo names stadium after Giorgi Shakarashvili]. 1tv.ge (in Georgian). 3 August 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  4. "დრამატული ფინიში: ჩემპიონის მეორე გუნდი ეროვნულ ლიგა 2-ში აღზევდა!" [The champions' second team earns promotion to League 2]. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  5. "ტარიელ ხეჩიკაშვილმა "საბურთალოს" ახალი სახელი ოფიციალურად წარადგინა" [Tariel Khechikashvili presents Saburtalo's new name]. goal.ge (in Georgian). 2024-02-27. Retrieved 2025-05-21.
  6. "Players". fciberia1999.ge (in Georgian). Retrieved 21 May 2025.